Due to safety concerns and governmental regulations, vehicle doors are designed to mitigate the effects of side impact events. During a side impact event, it is possible for the thorax and abdomen area of an occupant to be placed under an undesirable amount of pressure. To reduce the effects of side impacts, the doors on conventional vehicles may include foam objects or blocks that function as pelvis pushers or bolsters. The pelvis pusher blocks interact with portions of the occupant's pelvic area and help to push the occupant to reduce pressure and minimize undesirable contact with the intruding door. The addition of the pelvis pusher blocks requires additional packaging considerations, impacts door trim usage and vehicle costs. Accordingly, it is desirable to utilize existing door components/devices (e.g., door speakers) that function in their intended manner while being able to function as a safety device (e.g., a pelvis pusher) during impact event.
The embodiments described herein were conceived in view of these and other concerns related to side impact events.